Building block molding apparatus



Dec. 12, 1950 J.'F. MORAN Y 2,533,603

BUILDING BLOCK MOLDING APPARATUS Filed May '7, 1948 Patented Dec. 12, 1950 22:".

UNITED STATES PATIENT asaacos BUILDING BLOCK MOLDING APPARATUS. John F. Moran, Brooklyn, N. Y. I

Application May 7, 1948, Serial No. 25,623

8 Claims.

Q The invention relates to molding apparatus for manufacturing concrete and similar molded slab type and which slabs are integrally held toticularly designed for use in molding the multiple wall building blocks disclosed in my co-pending application entitled Multiple Wall Building Block, Serial No..14,084, filed March 10, 1948.

It is noted that the blocks featured in the pending application are characterized by a broad strip metal tie plate formed of steel and the ends of which are embedded in the concrete and the pori tions bridged across the space or spaces between the walls or slabs are flush with the top face of position relative to the molded slabs or walls and disposed in such way that, while the bridging portion be exposed at one face of the block and thus accessible for handling, the anchoring end porrtions should be firmly embedded deep in the concrete.

In order to mold any such form of block it is obviously necessary to pre-locate the tie plate somehow in the mold and that the tie plate be anchored in the mold against accidental displacebuilding blocks of the double-walled or doublement, but this is complicated in the instant case {apparatus for molding multi-walled building blocks wherein the tie members are located so that the bridge portion is exposed in juxtaposition to a face of the block and the ends of the tie members are firmly anchored within the block.

Broadly, this objective is attained first by molding the block upside down to thus bring the tie plates flush with the desired accurately formed top of the block when inverted after its removal from the finished mold; then by anchoring the tie plates on the pallet or bottom of the mold in such way as to insure their proper location in the finished structure; and third, by using shiftable and replaceable mold cores which can be, displaced to permit ready access to the tie plates and which cores can then function to provide the necessary mold partitions to divide the interior of the mold cavity into molding compartments and thus 2 locate the molding slabs relative to the pre-lo; cated tie plates or equivalent metallic tie men bers.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspec; tion of the accompanying drawings andwill be more fully set forth in the following particular description of two forms of molding apparatusemf bodying the invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel features of conQ struction and combination of parts hereinafte set forth and claimed. V In the accompanying drawings: Fig. l is a plan view looking down upon a p1 ferred embodiment of the invention with the tie plate located in place in its saddle on the pallet and the cores partially Withdrawn to permit ac;- cess ,to the saddle; v Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken in the longitudinal medial plane of the mold and taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, with the left core ad vanced to its partition-forming position overlap, ping one half of the tie member and with a part of the left core broken away to show the recess for receiving a one-half side of the saddle and tie plate; v Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional View taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 with the concrete filler in place, with the top of the concrete leveled off and the finished block ready tobe removed from the mold and associated machine; and Fig. 4 is a view of one half of the finished block as formed by the apparatus shown in the preced; ing figures. f 'T; It will be understood that the mold parts here? in illustrated are intended to show novel parts of somewhat complicated block-molding apparatus now on the market. The invention disclosed in Figs. 1-3 is intended to be used in any standard tamping and strike-off concrete block machine.

In the accompanying drawings and referring first to the block molded in the apparatus herein featured, as one-half of such blockis sho wniri Fig. 4, there is. disclosed two upstanding half slabs or Walls A and B disposed in parallel, spacedapart relation with an open air space therebetween. It is understood that the complete block is twice as long as is shown and that the half not shown is identical with the half shown inFig. '4; The top faces C of the slabs are disposed in the same horizontal plane and parallel to the plane which defines the bottom of the unit. The inner side faces of the slabs in each case interse'ctthe associated top faces C to form in each case an inner, upper squared edge E. The full length slabs are permanently coupled together by a tie member F. The molding apparatus herein featured is particularly designed to form these edges in definite relation to their associated tie members. The tie member illustrated is formed from a fiat strip of steel with a, central bridge-formin and handle-forming ortion G and with Z-shaped angled end-forming portions H and I for the most part deeply embedded respectively in the walls or slabs A and B. .Thebridge-forming portion G is U-shaped in cross section as shown in Fig. 3 and is waist-shaped in plan, as shown in Fig. .1, all as is more particularly described and claimed in the above identified application.

In the showing in Figs. 1 and 3, there is disclosed a box-like overhead mold or box' lll'v'vhich provides a four-walled rectangular framenpen at top and bottom and including a pair of long walls H and I2 integrally connected at opposite ends by a pair of relatively short walls l3 and i4 anda bottom plate 38 at least. partially. closesthe open bottomof box lfl. 'The bottom -plate.:38 is secured to outstanding flanges 39 projecting from the sides ll:-andl2an'd fastened by bolts .40. A

readily removable fiat, plate-like pallet I5 .is fitted in the open bottom and rests on the bottom plate 38. Preferably both the box and thepallet isformra'dof-steel. The upper surface |6-of the pallet in the'portion thereof within the box :is machined-more" or' less accurately to provide in the-finished block the desiredfiat top faces in a plane perpendicular to the upright dimensions of the block and also to .definea plane exactly parallel to the strike-01f plane definedby the leveling'top I 1- ofthe mold.

T-he'shortsides l4 and I3 are provided at their mid -lengths respectively with core-receiving upright side openings l8 and I9 which-extend from the-level of the surface Hi to the upper edges 11 as best shown in Fig. 2. Slidably. mounted in the openings l9 andl8, respectively, are-upstanding cores'2il and'2l. 'These-cores are rec- 'tangularplates preferably hollow to economize iii-material and to makethem sufiiciently light 'inweightto be movedeasily. The cores-mayv be moved into and out of the interior of the: mold "lmeith'er'manually or preferably by mechanical power coupled to the other mechanism of: the associated machine, not here necessary to'show.

Thecores aredimensioned to provide the desired-spacing apart'of the slabs A and B in the ilni'shedblock to form the intervening rectangularair space L shown'inFig. 4. The cores are providedfor the most part with fiat upstanding abutting-edges 22and-when in contact coact to form a partition 23"dividing the interior of the 'm'oldinto twdrectangular slab-molding cavities "24 and 25.

The pallet I is provided centrally thereof and 7 just" below the plane where the edges 23'abut,

'asbest shown in' 2,'witha saddle 26 for locating the tiemember F. This saddle includes a flat, strip like; portion 21 'embedded in the surface "[6 of the pallet and spot-welded in place.

The" saddle'includes a'pair of sides 28-and 29 which extend in upwardly spaced-apart relation from the flat portion and'form therewith a long socket." The upper face or cradle of 'the'saddle is U-shaped in cross-section and is" dimensioned transversely to receive the U-shaped bridgeforming': portion" G in snug-fitting" relation, as shown in Fig; 2. The lowermost'round'ed portion bfthe cradle of'the saddle asshown in "Fig. 2*is inlthe planeof -the upper or moldingface 'of the pallet, so'that in thefinished block'the bridge 4 forming portion G will be in the plane containing the top faces C. The saddle is dimensioned lengthwise with arched sides, with their convex sides facing each other to fit the biconcave form of the portion G and thus act to resist longitudinal shifting of the tie member as shown in Fig. 1.

The lower portions of the abutting edges 23 of each ofr the .cores are recessed as shown at 30 to overlapitthezsaddle tieplatp gas shown in Fig. 2. As shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the

recesses 39 are each dimensioned at their central portions to receive the adjacent half of the saddle .and'the recessesihave their outer sides beveled to facilitate the centering of the advance edges "of-the cores about the adjacent sides of the saddle. The outer, unrecessed bottom portions of the edges 22 bear vertically on the tie plate engaging the same in the substantially flat portions thereof where the flanges Jre-K round into the ends of theibridgeeforming portionzG. Ill-131115 .way the weight. of ,theacores. operates to. bear on; the tie: member, as shown in Fig.1 3,;to-keepz the same firmly seated i-n its; saddle during the molding operation. 1 ,1 In operation, the pallet I5; islowered into position to rest .on the bottom.-plateawithathe; cores outwardly offset. :The-:pallet Mi -either before or after being located in.themold,.is equipped withaaz .tie. member .as by :dropping thesame into the socket provided. therefore between the-sides 28429. Concrete :orsimilanmoldab le material is flowed into. the cavities: 24: and? 25. and .tamped downy-and the surpluslmaterial f leveled off flush with-the. fiat. top. edges; 11.. :The coresvare. tthen removed and the plunger-:3 I; iszactuatedtodift the pallet and with. it the molded. block from the :mold. After the'block-has-beenpartially cured .it is removed from the pallet and when sufficiently cured or otherwise ready for. use may be con veniently liftedbyameans ofiethe handle provided by theexposed bridge-forming portionG. .1 -I claim: 1. 111a mold construction :for formingmultiplewalled building blocks of moldable material and in which the walls are connected by a metallic tile 1 member whose mid-por-tion. is a. .u .-'shaped in cross section and waisteshapedcin plan, compris ing-an open-bottom form, ashiftable-pallet closing the open-bottom-of' the-form, a saddle secured to the pallet at its' center, said-saddle provided with an -upwardly faci-ng socket l 'U-shaped an cross section and-waist-shaped in plan: for re- -ceiving th -mid-portion of the tie-member and acting to resist lengthwise shifting-of -=the tie member from the-saddle and a plunger for-movi-ngthe-pallet through the form; 2. The mold construction' d'efined in -claim.- l which includes means--shiftable relative to the forminto position above and offset fromthesad dle and; operative -toengage portionsof -thetie member. and to holdj'the Same. againsti 'theltop of the pallet and thus secure the tie member in its preset. position in the socket; I 3. In an apparatus-for manufacturingconf crete blocks of "the' double walled tied-together type and wherein a tie member connects the up} per faces of wallsgthe combination of 'a onepiece mold box open at top and bottonigandin eluding four connected outlining side walls; a solid steel pallet'closingthe open bottom ofth box, the upper surface of; the pallet machined fiatiand providing a moldingsurface for definin the eventu l to aq sfof 91 1 al s iT' 'QQm; pleted block, "an opposing pair orthe'side wails each provided with an opening extending from the level of said machined surface to the top of its associated side, a of cores, one for each opening, fitted therein, slidably mounted therein, slidable on top of the pallet and having their top faces in the plane of the open top of the mold block and adapted whet their inner edges are in abutting relation adjacent the center of the block to form a two-part partition extending across the interior of the box and dividing the same into two molding compartments, a tie-mounting secured to the pallet at the place where the inner edges of the cores meet, said saddle fashioned to prelocate a tie member in the apparatus where such tie member should be located to bring the member at the top of the finished block and said cores each having its meeting edge recessed at its junction with the pallet with each recess facing the pallet and each other, and contoured to receive and overlap the adjacent portion of the saddle when th cores are in their abutting partition-forming position.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 and in which the cores when in abutting relation coact to form a partition, each core having a portion overlapping the tie member when seated in the saddle and bearing on the member exteriorly of the saddle to maintain the tie member in its preset position seated in the saddle.

5. In a metallic mold construction for molding concrete blocks and the like, the combination of a one-piece four-walled molding box open at top and bottom, a bottom plate for closing the bot tom of the box, a steel pallet normally resting on the bottom plate and fitted to the box to close its open bottom, a pair of opposite walls of the box provided with side openings extending from the upper surface of the pallet to the tops of the walls, a pair of cores, one for each opening and slidable therein across the top of the pallet, said cores adapted to be moved towards each other and into abutting relation to form a two-part partition dividing the interior of the box into two molding cavities, said pallet provided centrally thereof and in line with the abutting edges of the cores with a steel saddle for locating a tie memher in the mold construction, said saddle having a central portion fixedly welded to the steel pallet and having a pair of upstanding sides forming therebetween a long upwardly-facing socket U- shaped in vertical cross section and with the sides facing each other and curved and the meeting edges of the cores when in abutting relation disposed in overlapping relation parallel to the longitudinal medial plane of the saddle.

6. In a mold construction for molding concrete and like building blocks of the type which includes two parallel, spaced-apart slabs having their top faces in a common plane and with a metallic tie plate connecting the slabs at their upper faces, said construction including a mold open at its top and provided with a partition to form two spaced-apart molding cavities, a pallet for closing the open bottoms of the two cavities and having a smooth molding surface facing the molding cavities, a tie plate receiving saddle secured to the pallet in the part thereof which lies between the bottoms of the cavities, said saddle including an upwardly-facing plate-receiving pocket whose lower face coincides substantially with the plane of the molding surface of the pallet. thereby to bring the central portion of the tie plate flush with the plane of the top surfaces of the slabs, said saddle fashioned to receive the tie plate and to locate it to bring its ends into the mold cavities.

7. The mold construction defined in claim 6 which includes shiftable means operatively connected to the pallet to move the same to and from its position closing the open bottoms of the molding cavities.

8. In a mold construction for molding concrete and like blocks of the type which include two parallel spaced-apart walls with a tie member having its ends embedded in the walls to connect them together as a unit, said construction including cavity-forming means for forming the two walls and for finishing the eight upstanding faces of the walls, a pallet having a flat surface facing said means for forming another face of each wall, a saddle secured to the pallet and fashioned for receiving the tie member, said saddle including a fiat strip-like portion embedded in the pallet and a pair of sides extending upwardly from the fiat portion and from the pallet to form a long socket whose upper face is U-shaped in cross section and whose sides are arched towards each other to give the socket a biconcave form when viewed in plan.

JOHN F. MORAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 961,659 Taylor June 14, 1910 1,063,293 Searls June 3, 1913 1,241,487 Atterbury Oct. 2, 1917 1,497,440 Guy June 10, 1924 1,721,017 Gurney et a1 July 16, 1929 1,853,720 Bruckner Apr. 12, 1932 1,919,807 Sharpe July 25, 1933 2,280,635 Ishman Apr. 21, 1942 

